In 1983, Fred Lynn of the California Angels hit the first (and, to date, only) grand slam in an All-Star game as the American League zoomed to a 13-3 victory over the National League in Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

In 1988, 167 North Sea oil workers were killed when explosions and fires destroyed a drilling platform. Medical waste and other debris began washing up on New York City-area seashores, forcing the closing of several popular beaches.

Ten years ago: Liberian leader Charles Taylor accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria (he resigned and flew into exile the following month). Roger Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title, defeating Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the Wimbledon final. Actor Buddy Ebsen died in Torrance, Calif., at age 95.

Five years ago: The U.S. launched an airstrike in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province; the Afghan government later said 47 civilians died. President George W. Bush arrived in Japan for his eighth and final Group of Eight summit, where he emphasized the urgency of providing aid to Africa. Rafael Nadal won a riveting five-set Wimbledon final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, denying Roger Federer a sixth straight title in a match that lasted 4 hours, 48 minutes.

One year ago: At a 100-nation conference in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed an accelerating wave of defections in President Bashar Assad’s inner circle as the United States and its international allies pleaded once again for global sanctions against the Syrian regime. Former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was released from jail in Florida for a second time while he awaited his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin.

Thought for Today: “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.” — Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter (born this date in 1907, died 1954).